Dragons and Roses
by Shadow 3013
Summary: WuFei trys to come to terms with his feelings towards a certain OZ general. Some 2X1 and 13X6, 4X3 mentioned as well.


A thin figure clad in a Chinese style navy blue outfit of tank top and pants slid silently from shadow to shadow. A light flickered on nearby, and the figure pressed itself further into the shadows. A dog began to bark nearby, but the figure remained motionless. 

"Shut up, you dumb mutt!" a voice hollered. There was the sound of a door opening, then the dog yelped in pain. It stopped barking. "There. Now no more of that, or next time I'll make sure that you _can't_ bark!" The door slammed shut and all was silent once more.

The figure continued on, moving swiftly. It stopped when it reached a large mansion; all but one window was devoid of light. The figure made his way up to that one shining window, careful to avoid making any sound as it climbed.

A few moments later, the figure had reached its destination. It stopped on the windowsill and peered into the room beyond the glass. There was movement inside.

Pacing about the room was a tall man with ginger-colored hair. He looked very elegant in his military outfit, complete with knee high black boots and white gloves. He didn't look very happy at the moment, however. The figure outside waited for the man to face his back towards him, then pressed his ear against the window.

"What is troubling you, sir?" a muffled voice asked. Another man walked into sight. He had long, pale blonde hair and stunning blue eyes, and was also wearing a military uniform. The design of the uniform made it clear that he was lower in status than the pacing man, but still high up in the ranks.

"A prisoner escaped this morning, and has yet to be recovered," was the reply. The voice sounded frustrated.

"I see. I take it, then, that this is no ordinary prisoner. This one causes you a great deal of worry. It was one of the Gundam pilots, perhaps?"

The pacing man nodded.

"Ah. The Chinese one, I presume? Chang WuFei, I believe his name is?" the blonde young man inquired, raising one eyebrow. 

Another nod. "You know me well, my friend. But tell me, Zechs. How did you know which pilot it was?"

"You would not work yourself into such a state were it any of the others. I have yet to decide exactly why, but that one… catches your interest." interest." A slight frown appeared on the blonde's face; he didn't look as though he was pleased with that fact.

"You are right. And fret not about your inability to discern my interest in the boy; I myself do not know just why I find him so fascinating." fascinating." The ginger-haired man frowned as well; he did not look pleased with the situation, either.

"Please, sir, sit down. You're not doing yourself any good pacing about like that; all you're doing is using up your energy."

"I find no lack of energy in myself, Colonel Zechs. Quite the contrary, in fact; I am simply preventing excess energy from building up and making me snappish."

"General Treize, forgive my insubordinate behavior, but I feel I must insist." His voice was so low that the figure at the window had to strain just to be able to barely hear him at all. Zechs reached out and grabbed Treize by the arm, halting his movement.

"Zechs, I…" the general stammered, obviously caught off guard.

"Please, sir. You need to rest; you'll need your energy tomorrow if you plan on surviving the day." He gently pushed his friend over to a couch, sitting down and pulling Treize down next to him.

"All right, Zechs. I shall concede to your victory… this time. Next time, _I_ shall win the battle." 

Zechs smiled, his blue eyes sparkling and shining brightly. "Thank you, sir. Now, let us move on to more pleasant subjects. I believe that a ball is scheduled to be held later this week, and I was curious as to whether or not…"

The silent figure backed away from the window and quickly climbed back down, jumping the last few feet to the ground. The moment it hit the earth, it melted into the shadows, fleeing from the mansion and gracefully ascending the wall surrounding the property. As it stood on top of the wall, it looked back one last time, then jumped down. A few moments later, the loud roar of an engine was heard, but by the time a guard looked in the proper direction, there was nothing to be seen.

***

"Hey, Wuffie! Ya look half dead, man!" Duo chirped cheerfully as his friend descended the steps from the sleeping quarters into the main living area. The American pilot was seated in front of the television, its glow flickering on his face as he lifted a spoon of soggy cereal to his mouth. "Where were ya?"

WuFei made no response other than to glare. He walked past the braided boy and into the kitchen, the smells of tea and rice beckoning. It seemed as though Heero had made breakfast.

As the Chinese pilot entered the kitchen, he quickly discovered that he was correct in his assumption. Heero was seated at the kitchen table, a steaming bowl of rice in front of him, a pair of chopsticks in one hand, and a small cup of hot tea in the other.

The two boys grunted their greetings as WuFei immediately headed to the rice cooker. He spooned out a generous helping for himself, then poured a cup of tea and went to join Heero at the table.

"You didn't get back until early this morning, and the skin at your wrists is chafed. No serious damage was done?" Heero inquired stonily. 

"I was taken captive by OZ forces; I was careless, and missed a second ambush after escaping the first one. It took longer than I expected for the guards to let their guard down long enough for me to escape with a minimum amount of notice. I made sure that I wasn't followed," WuFei replied. Heero nodded, and all was silent as the two ate their breakfast. The silence was short-lived, however.

"Hey, guys! Whatcha doin'?" Duo asked as he bound into the room. WuFei sighed, and Heero looked almost as if he wanted to do the same.

"Eating breakfast. What does it look like?" the black haired pilot snapped. Duo made a face but seemed otherwise unfazed.

"Hey, Wuffie, with you, there's no tellin'!" he replied with a shrug. He pulled a chair from the table and turned it around, straddling it as he faced his two companions.

Heero finished the last of his rice and stood, pushing away from the table. He placed his bowl in the dishwasher, refilled his teacup, and headed towards the kitchen's exit, cup in hand.

"Where ya goin', Hee-chan?" the American asked, his head turning to keep the Japanese pilot in his line of sight. He received no reply as his companion continued on, not even turning around. Duo shrugged and stood. 

"See ya, Wuffie. M' gonna go follow Hee-chan to make sure he isn't going to lock himself up all day with that bakastupid laptop of his again," he called over his shoulder, hurrying after the retreating figure of the Japanese pilot. "Oi, Heero! Wait up, man!"

WuFei smiled and shook his head as his friend ran out of the room, trying to get Heero's attention. Their situation was actually quite comical, although he still felt sorry for them, especially Duo. All that dancing around each other, and Duo the one doing all the fancy footwork to avoid ruining their friendship…

WuFei quickly finished his meal, then headed out to the hangar where Nataku was resting. His spirits immediately lifted as he spotted his beloved Gundam.

"Ah, Nataku… We must talk," he murmured, climbing into the cockpit and closing the door once he was inside. If any of the other Gundam pilots, except perhaps Quatre, had heard him, they would have thought him crazy. Although Duo might have understood—WuFei had heard him talk to Shinigami on several occasions, after all…

For a few minutes, WuFei simply sat, letting his mind clear itself as he focused. He had come here to think out a problem he was having, and for once there was plenty of time to make sure that he did so properly.

His entire problem could be summed up in one name: General Treize Kushrenada. Lord Treize, leader of the OZ empire. His ultimate rival, the man he wanted to challenge again so that he could repair his damaged honor and pride. And, in a cruel twist of fate, the creature he most desired.

WuFei growled, frustration beginning to rear its ugly head. The Chinese pilot quickly suppressed the emotion, struggling to calm himself. He was here to think about things, not to _avoid_ thinking about them. He cautiously released the smothered feeling.

It was beyond frustrating, what he was feeling. At least Duo was in lo… had feelings for Heero. He was on their side. He was okay. WuFei, on the other hand, was in love with Treize. The enemy. And not just any enemy; he was the _leader_ of all their enemies. Such a person was not the best choice in love interests, considering the occupation of WuFei and his four companions-in-arms.

"Be reasonable, WuFei. Even if he weren't the enemy, there would _still_ be problems. First of all, he's in the public eye; you'd only bring dishonor on him. Secondly, he's _male_. Modern society may be more accepting of such things, but think of the ancestors! They'd be eternally disgraced!" the Chinese boy scolded himself. 

A little voice in the back of his mind spoke up. "Really? Heero and Duo aren't disgraceful, Trowa and Quatre aren't disgraceful! If they were, we wouldn't continue to be friends with them!" the voice protested. WuFei paused in his internal ranting just long enough to listen to the comment. It was the truth.

"Still, I mustn't. Even putting aside all other complications, it would make things extremely difficult for both of us. People would constantly try to use us against each other."

"Rise to the challenge, then!"

"There's no guarantee that he'll feel the same. He has Lady Une. And even if he does like other men, I'm sure that Colonel Zechs would be more than happy to fill that roll, if he's not doing so already."

"Go find out. It can't hurt to tell him how you feel."

"He could take me prisoner or kill me if I got anywhere close to him."

"Coward."

"This is a necessity, not cowardice!"

"Write a note, then."

"He would know my real name, and give it to all his soldiers."

" If you're tha_t_ worried about the possibility, just use an alias. A code name."

"Like what?"

"Consider this…"

***

_General Kushrenada,_

Long have I admired you from afar, my eyes, my soul, my hands all wishing for that which they may not have. Although I know that this inaccessibility will remain even after you have read this base expression of my thoughts, I believe that I must put my feelings into words. If I could only fight against you once more, I would be a happy man, even if it brought about my death at the hands of your men. With this said, I wish to challenge you to a duel. If you care to accept, meet me at the Hyule Training Grounds in China on the second Wednesday of this month. I pray that you will accept my challenge, as I long to look once more upon your magnificence.

With Respectful Admiration,

The Black Dragon

***

WuFei surveyed the letter critically, making sure that it all was in order. Detecting no flaws, he placed the paper inside an envelope, sealing it with a drop of rose-scented black wax. WuFei thought of Treize's fondness for roses and smiled at the subtle irony. 

The letter was complete. All he had to do now was deliver it and his fate was sealed, one way or another. The truly difficult part would be getting it to Treize without getting discovered or captured; no easy feat, considering the fact that security would likely be increased after the escape of himself, an 'armed and highly dangerous' prisoner.

"I must admit that I relish the idea of a good challenge; all my missions have been considerably less than formidable as of late…" he mused to himself, a smile appearing on his face. He gazed out the window and raised one eyebrow in thought; it was only a few hours until nightfall… "I'll leave as soon as it gets dark, but I should start getting ready now."

WuFei walked over to his dresser and rummaged through its contents, searching for dark colored clothing. Pulling off his clothes, he strapped a knife to each leg, then changed into a black long sleeved Chinese shirt and pants like he had been wearing earlier, only black. He slipped the envelope containing the letter into his clothes, then began to wait.

***

"Where are _you_ going, Wuffie?" Duo called after his friend, who was just climbing out his bedroom window.

"Maxwell! What are _you_ doing in my room? " WuFei shouted, enraged. His face was quickly turning a shade of red

Duo shrugged. "Just wanted to see if ya wanted to come downstairs and watch a movie with Heero and me," he replied with a grin. "Am I interrupting something?"

"I was just going out." WuFei snarled, edging closer to the window. All he needed was one good chance and he could jump out; after all, it wasn't all that far from the third floor to the ground… It would be just the same as he had planned on doing, only less controlled. This was simply another challenge.

"Oh… Out to town, huh? Meeting someone, Wuffie? Some pretty girl, or maybe a gorgeous guy? Heh… I don't even know your preference, did ya know that?" A cheeky grin appeared on the American's face as he shook his head in mock disbelief.

"What right do you have to ask me such things? I have no intention of telling you any of that—it's none of your business!" WuFei stuttered, growing even more enraged.

A strange look appeared on Duo's face. "I'm your friend, that's what right I have!" Then his grin reappeared, bigger than before. "It's a guy, isn't it! I can tell by your reaction!" 

"You have no proof of that!"

"I bet it's someone I know, isn't it? Now, who could it be? Hey, get away from the window, I'm not letting you leave until I figure this out!" He pulled the Chinese pilot away from the window, blocking it with his own body.

"What are you doing? Let me out of here!" WuFei snarled, trying to shove past his friend.

"Hmm… Let me see. Could it be… that store clerk at the Oriental food store down the street? He seems to like you; he stares at you all the time, and that look in his eyes…! Nah, he's too boring, even for you. Don't get mad, I'm just telling the truth! I'd say it was the ice-cream man, seeing as popsicles are phallic symbols, but we don't have an ice-cream man in this neighborhood, so that's pretty much impossible… Okay, this is my last try. If I'm wrong, I'll let you go. Okay, think about the area, what's nearby? Not much other than that big mansion… That's it! It's whoever owns it! And there's always a bunch of military people going in and out of it, so… It's Kushrenada, isn't it? Treize Kushrenada!" 

WuFei froze, and Duo knew instantly that his last guess was correct. His friend denied it, of course. 

"Why would I be consorting with the enemy?" WuFei stuttered, a blush appearing on his face. He scolded himself silently; he had better control than this!

"Hah! I'm right!" Duo crowed victoriously. WuFei blushed again. "Hey, man… That's not exactly the right outfit for a date, ya know?"

"I'm _not_ going on a date. I am simply delivering a challenge to him. I'll be back within an hour." That was as close as WuFei would come to admitting that Duo was right. He walked over to the window again, and this time his friend moved out of his way.

"Ah. Okay then. Well, go deliver your 'challenge.' You want us to wait for you to come back before we start the movie?"

"Wouldn't that be a bother?" 

Duo shook his head. "Not at all. So, you want us to?"

"What will you do while you wait?"

An evil grin appeared on the American's face. "Oh, I'm sure that I can come up with _something_ to entertain Heero for an hour… I'm creative remember?"

WuFei chuckled. "I'm sure that you can. All right, wait for me." He turned and began to lower himself out the window, then stopped, hanging from the edge. "By the way," he called, "What are we watching?"

"I dun' remember what it's called… But it's something to do with a prince and some roses," the braided boy replied. He heard WuFei chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing… I'll tell you later. I have to go." He dropped down, grabbing a tree limb halfway and climbing said tree the rest of the way down.

***

WuFei reached Treize's mansion within ten minutes; he had 'borrowed' Heero's motorcycle, making the trip a good deal faster. The infiltration of the grounds was harder than it had been the last time he'd come here, but it was still easier than he had expected.

He headed immediately to the room where he had seen Treize last time; he was there again, and this time the window was open a crack. He climbed up to the window, peering through. It was easy for him to hear the conversation going on inside.

"Really, Lord Treize, is something wrong?" a female voice asked. WuFei shifted a bit and saw that Lady Une was in the room with Treize. 

"Nothing, my dear lady… I suppose that my mind is simply preoccupied." A charming smile spread onto his face, but WuFei thought that it was a forced smile.

"I'm sorry to hear you say that, Lord Treize. Is there something I can do to help?"

"No, no, it's nothing that won't soon solve itself." Treize turned to the window, sighing. WuFei quickly dodged back out of sight, almost falling off the ledge in doing so.

"Ah, my dear Zechs, come back to me soon…" WuFei heard the OZ general whisper under his breath. He doubted that Lady Une heard him, and it was a good thing too.

A surge of jealousy flared up in WuFei's chest. Oh, how he wished that it were his name Treize had whispered in such a longing tone!

Treize turned away from the window and walked back over to Lady Une. "My dearest Une, I have no intention of being rude, but I am extremely fatigued and would like to retire for the night."

"Of course, Lord Treize. I'll be seeing you at our morning briefing, then?"

"Indeed you shall, my lady."

"Goodnight, Lord Treize."

"Goodnight, Lady Une."

Lady Une walked out the bedroom door, looking behind once before she closed it. The moment the door was shut, Treize walked over to the couch and collapsed gracefully onto it. WuFei leaned forward as the other man's eyes closed—he wanted to be able to hear any further words issued forth from that powerful body.

"Oh, my beloved Zechs, you must come back soon. You must help me find that lovely Chinese pilot." The ginger-haired man stretched and placed his hands behind his head, a soft sigh escaping his lips.

WuFei stared, halfway disbelieving. "Why does he want to find me so badly? It doesn't sound as though he wishes to kill me, so…" he thought to himself, blinking. He wasn't sure, but truth be told, this wasn't exactly the best place to figure it out. He quickly slipped the envelope through the window, then rapidly climbed back down to the ground. 

"What's this?" Treize asked as his eyes opened a few moments later. He walked over to where the envelope was laying and opened it, reading the letter inside. By the time he processed what it said, WuFei was already back to the safe-house, sitting on a couch, watching a movie about 'a prince and some roses.'

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters and such are NOT mine. They belong to Sunrise, and whoever else owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while; WuFei torture seems to be a hobby of mine. C&C is always welcome.


End file.
